Sheet delivery control arrangement in printing presses



Sept. 11, 1945.

M. R. BELLAYMY SHEET DELIVERY CONTROL ARRANGEMENT IN PRINTING PRESS Fil ed Oct. 17, 1944 Inventor /Va/ao///2/P. bay/0%] Patented Sept. 11, 1945 SHEET DELIVERY CONTROL AR NGE- MENT IN PRINTING rREssEs Malcolm R. Bellamy, Kingsport, Tenn., assignor of fifty per cent to Albert L. Bellamy, Kings port, Tenn.

' Application October 17, 1944, Serial No. 559,008

"1 Claim. (orien -57) This invention relates to printing presses and it has particular reference to Safeguarding or control devices by means of which the correct operation of the press and, especially the correct delivery of the printed sheets, is supervised.

Incorrect operation at the delivery end, especially failure to deliver the printed sheets correctly at the right moment, may cause much damage. It may not merely consist in the loss of some prints, but it may be of a nature which is much more serious. If the sheet is not delivered because it happens to stick on the printing cylinder, the next sheet will cover the sheet which has not been delivered, and during the next printing operation, on account of the excess thickness, will cause the battering or smashing of plates. The damage thus caused is great as the repair is costly and the press is out of commission for a considerable time.

The invention, therefore, has for its primary object to provide a simple and effective control device supervising the correct delivery of the sheets from the cylinder of the printing press and stopping the operation instantly if the correct delivery has not been made at the right moment.

It has for its further object the use of a simple electric device which may be added to the existing printing press arrangement without great difficulty.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed specification describing the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an elevational view partly in section of the control device when mounted near the reciprocating push rod actuating the so-called tripout shaft of the press.

Figure 2 is an elevational view partly in section of the feeler actuated delivery control switch.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of the delivery end of the press, showing the location of the delivery control switch and of the parts of the press which are influenced by said switch.

The printing press which is not shown in the drawing is provided with What is called a trip-out shaft In, which is connected by means of a connecting rod II or a similar connecting link with the main stop switch l2 of the press (Figure 3). This trip-out shaft 10 oscillates regularly and during such oscillation the printing press operates normally. Whenever oscillation is arrested the printing press is stopped by means of switch 2.

The oscillation of the trip-out shaft is caused by the reciprocating control bar l3, which reciprocates regularly during the operation of the printing pressand which is linked to the trip-out shaft ID by means ofthe. cranklever l4; 'Thereciprocatin g bar l3 'represents one of the controlmembers of the press: it is provided with stops or'feelers'and when these are arrested, theregular' reciprocation of the barfand oscillation of the tripout shaft ceases. and theprinting press is arrested instantly.

The members and components, thus, far'described, are part of the standard equipment'of printing presses and are, therefore, not in themselves part of the'present invention. They'are merely shown diagrammatically.

In front of the printing cylinder l5 the sheet delivery section l6 of the press is arranged which consists, in the example shown, of a number of delivery belts l1, upon which the sheets are discharged. A supporting rod I8 is running transversely across the delivery belts, which rod carries the sheet delivery control switches, designated generally by the reference numeral IS.

The switches comprise a bracket 20 which is fastened to the supporting rod l8 by means of a set screw 2| and which carries a frame member 22 on which the switch is mounted. The latter consists of an elastic feeler 23, preferably formed by a spring member, which is in operative connection with a contact member 24. The latter cooperates with a fixed contact 25 carried by the frame member 22 and insulated therefrom, which is connected with the lead 26.

The feeler 23 projects above the level defined by the belts on which the delivered sheet is conveyed and is depressed by the sheet resting on the belts. This depressed position is shown in Figure 2 in dotted lines. When the feeler occupies this position it is under elastic tension and closes contacts 24 and 25. As shown, contact lever 24 may be somehow connected with the ground G (represented by some part of the machinery) while contact 25 is insulated therefrom.

The switch 19 controls the circuit of an electromagnet 21 of the usual electromagnetic relay type which is provided with a spring controlled armature 28. The spring 29 of the armature holds the latter in an inclined position (shown in dotted lines) when the electromagnet 21 is deenergized, permitting it to be held in the position shown in full lines when energized.

The armature 28 co-operates with a stop or feeler 30 adjustably mounted on the reciprocating control bar l3. Said bar is provided with a screw threaded portion 3| on which the position of the stop or feeler 30 may be adjusted longitudinally.

The electromagnet 21 and its equipment may be enclosed in a box 33 of insulating material.

The electromagnet is connected with lead 26 on one hand, and with a source of current (not shown) by means of a lead 34 on the other hand.

The operation of the device is the following:

As long as the sheets will come ofi the press regularly, they will be discharged from the cylinder to the delivery belt l6 after each printing operation and will be carried off by the latter. During this process they depress the feeler 23 of switch l9, so that contact is established between contacts 24 and 25 closing the circuit of the electromagnet 21; the latter attracts its armature 28 and clears the path of feeleru. The control bar l3 may, therefore, reciprocate freely.

If for some reason, a sheet sticks on the printing cylinder and is not dischargedunto the delivery belts, feeler 23 moves back into the position shown in full lines in Figure 2. The current through the electromagnet is-interrupted and the armature 28 falls back and ad ts the position shown in dotted lines. During the recipros cating movement of control bar 13 thestoplli will, therefore, be caught by the armature'and the reciprocatingmovement of the bar Will be arrested. The trip-outshaft l ceases to oscillate and actuates main switch I! which stops the press cylinder.

It will thus be clear that the press is stopped when the cylinder fails to dischargev the sheet regularly during the printing process. I 1

It will be understood that the modification shown in the drawing represents but one embodiment of the invention, but that other embodiprovided with a printing cylinder, a trip-out shaft, a main control switch, controlling the operation of the printing press, a reciprocating control bar operating said switch when arrested and guarding means associated with said control bar for stopping said printing press, a delivery belt on the printing press and a sheet delivery control arrangement both arranged on the sheet delivery end of the printing press, the latter comprising, a stop fixed to the reciprocating control bar, a movable stop cooperating therewith, arranged within the travelling path of the fixed stop, means for removing the movable stop from its operative position in said path including an electromagnet, an armature and an operative circuit for the electromagnet a delivery control switch, arranged near said delivery belt and a movable feeler projecting into the path along which the sheets are delivered and depressed by each sheet delivered from the printing press for operating said switch, said switch closing the circuit of the electromagnet upon depression of thefeeler.

' MALCOLM R. BELLAMY. 

